Monthly Archives: March 2019

We met Rodg right after his stunning set at ASOT900 for a chat about his upcoming album ‘FATE’ , the direction his music is taking and some insights on his tour life; check out what this talented artist told us 🙂

TBA: Hi, Rodg!! How you doin’ man?

R: I’m good, thank you

TBA: How does it feel to be playing again at A State Of Trance?

R: Amazing, it feels like coming home, it was great! I’ve played a lot of new records, had a different time slot, usually I am on early but tonight I played 1 to 2 am, it was great! I am very happy!

TBA: Can you tell us something about the new album?

R: I can tell you I just played a lot of records from the album haha! You know like High On Life was a little bit deeper than the album I did with Ruben ( togetheRR) .. I think if I work on my own stuff in general it’s a little bit deeper side of the progressive trance and that’s what I did again, it what came out of my fingers while producing it and I just tested out a lot of those new tunes and I am very happy with the reaction of the crowd, it’s amazing, a great feeling!

TBA: Are you also touring a lot these days?

R: I am touring a lot, I am going to the United States in 3 weeks and I am super excited

TBA: Which are the 3 things you always bring with you while traveling?

R: Obviously headphones, an extra charger pack and really comfy pants to sit in the planes

TBA: Are there any other upcoming gigs you are very excited about?

R: Well I am very excited to return to one of the biggest festivals in the Netherlands, it’s not announced yet, but it will soon,just saying! And as I were telling you, I am going to the United States , I haven’t played so much in states and there are so many trance fans out there and I can’t wait to see them there and play for them and have a good time to make great parties.

TBA: Do you think the European crowd gets a different vibe from the American one?

R: Well, hard to say because I haven’t played much in the U.S.A. but in general you can see a lot of differences, in the Netherlands , the typical Dutch crowd is a little bit difficult,is a tough cookie to crack let’s say,a tough cookie, in Poland for instance it just goes off, I love Poland, I love Mexico,…the energy is different everywhere, you know, I can say Spain has a fantastic energy for instance Ibiza..but well in Ibiza people come from everywhere so it’s hard to say if it is a Spanish thing haha. So it’s a different experience every time but it’ s also what makes it so much fun as nothing is the same ad you need to just feel the crowd and do whatever they want, at least I try to do whatever they want and make it work.

TBA: Back to your new album, how did you pick the title ’FATE’ ?

R: Fate basically means ….well you know life brings you certain things you might not expect and in the last couple of years a lot of things I didn’t expect come my way, both in business and in personal life and I am very happy at the moment, I went through some difficult times but you it takes a leap of faith to change and on that time I was writing on the album so it was the only perfect title I could give it, it’s quite emotional but yeah, maybe I am an emotional guy! Haha!

TBA: Is there a tune in the album that challenged you the most?

R: Well there a couple of tunes that are not really trance and lean more towards techno but I do kept certain melodic elements, but these are quite experimental so yeah a bit challenging

TBA: Statement Recordings is on its 13th anniversary, what would you say to Ruben?

R: Ruben I love you mate, very happy to be on the label we are gonna do a lot of amazing stuff in the future, very happy to be part of it, thank you!

Pre-sale tickets per venue – on saleWednesday, March 20 at 12 p.m. CET

General Sale – availableThursday, March 21 at 12 p.m. CET

Lost Frequenciesis a man of many talents and a musician with a genre-bending scope that many artists double his age would envy. Following his sold-out headline ‘Less Is More’ arena show in his home country of Belgium that saw 9.000 number of adoring fans enjoy an insane level of production,Lost Frequenciespreviewed his future live show to 20,000 anticipating Tomorrowland 2018 fans, and now, the wait is no more…

As he takes this fully live tour global for the inaugural time with a dozen dates split between both the U.S.A and Europe,Lost Frequencieswill bring an innovative, fresh interpretation of his sound that so many have come to know and love, comprised of completely original material, compositions and presentations for 2019. Throughout October and November, he’ll be hitting L.A. and New York first, followed by Milan, Paris and of course his home country of Belgium, fusing together a never-before-seen stage design and light show with fully live musical elements, enlisting touring band members and on-stage live instrumentation to include drums, keys and special vocal interpretations as well as a whole lot of surprises.

Off the back of a huge American headline tour and the great success of #1 tracks such as ‘Crazy’ with Zonderling, ‘Like I Love You’ and latest smash ‘Recognise’ – tickets will go on sale forLost FrequenciesLive at the respective pre-sale and general sale times and dates above. Don’t sleep on your chance to be the first to experience this all-new, highly-anticipated spectacle, coming in the winter of!

Following the huge success of ‘Hipcats’ (#1 in Traxsource’s main chart, #1 in Beatport’s House chart, #12 in the Miami Buzz chart and #13 in the Cool Cuts chart), ATFC and David Penn have gone all out with their joint return to Armada Subjekt. Almost a year after the release of the aforementioned hit, the Anglo-Spanish House icons emerge with a track that might even trump its predecessor in terms of sheer infectiousness: ‘Dynamite’

Staking its claim as a booming prime-time cut, ‘Dynamite’ picks up where previous hit ‘Hipcats’ left off. Cooked up from an explosive mixture of impactful drums, crackling grooves and eruptive vocals, ‘Dynamite’ is bound to set fire to the dance floor and the scene as a whole.

ATFC enjoyed major success around the turn of the century, charting in the Top 40 of the U.K. Singles chart with ‘In And Out Of My Life’ (#11, 1999), ‘Bad Habit’ (#17, 2000) and ‘Sleep Talk’ (#33, 2002). In the years thereafter, House icons such as Mark Knight, Mousse T, Nic Fanciulli andRoger Sanchezbegan to take notice of his slick productions and masterful grooves, a trademark ATFC has honed to perfection. Now riding the wave of his recent success with ‘Hipcats’, ATFC has more than earned his stripes by continually reinventing himself and his sound, and turning heads because of it.

One of Spain’s most well-known DJ/producers, David Penn has a number of worldwide House hits to his name, including mid-90s hit ‘The Night Train’ (#1 in the Netherlands, #12 in the U.K.), produced under his Kadoc moniker. Throughout his long and prosperous career, he has worked with some of House’s finest acts and labels, and remixed tracks from a whole raft of notable acts, includingSimply Red,Mariah Carey,Junior Jack, Sandy Rivera, River Ocean feat India (Masters At Work),Boy George, Josh One, Kiko Navarro,Michael Gray, Lenny Fontana,Robbie Rivera, The Shapeshifters, Joey Negro and more. ‘Dynamite’ shows that David Penn is still on top of his game churning out grooves and hooking singles at an impressive rate.

Offering up a mouth-watering taste of musical heritage, Belgian House star Maxim Lany finally unleashes his debut release on Armada Electronic Elements. Played extensively by household names such as Kölsch and Solomun in the months leading up to its official release today, ‘Renaissance’ is where the rich culture of House music meets the underground sound of today.

A well-known figure in the Belgian Deep House scene, Maxim Lany has gradually become a household name. Having shared the decks with the likes of John Digweed, Sasha, Jamie Jones, Lee Burridge, Adriatique, Kölsch, Bedouin and many others in 2018 alone while releasing tracks on some of the scene’s most acclaimed labels, he managed to stand out through his internationally acclaimed, atmospheric signature sound. Now, with the release of a track that’s been so heavily featured in the live sets of many top names, it’s safe to say Maxim Lany is pulling out all the stops to continue his rise to fame.

Maxim Lany:“I am overwhelmed by the massive response to ‘Renaissance’. It gives me goosebumps knowing that both Solomun and Kölsch used it as their secret weapons for months, and I really cannot wait to see who else will be playing it!”

ASOT900 was hands down one for the books, and we’ve been living our best life wandering around the stages, dancing in the crowd, stopping by the illustrious radio dome and even taking our time to have a chat with a few of the prodigious artists performing at the majestic Jaarbeurs venue.

We’ve been blessed to catch up with FUTURECODE just before they decided to destroy the mainstage with a mindblowing closing set!

TBA: Hi this is Jess from The Backstage Access here with Futurecode

FTC: Heyyy!!

TBA: So guys how do you feel to be here celebrating the 900th episode of ASOT?

FTC: (Ben Gold) Oh yes it’s amazing, to play at any of ASOT eventsis exciting, and congratulations to the team for reaching this far, it just keeps getting bigger and better and yeah, it’s great to be here.

TBA: You guys are a true match made in heaven, looking at the socials, there were so much expectations for your set tonight

FTC: (Omnia) Oh really? That’s great, we’re excited about it also, but it’s really nice to see that people are really excited about it as well; we will do our best definitely ’cause we have some really great music, we think so, we believe that, so yeah let’s see.

TBA: You have a few new tunes that are going to be premiered tonight, right?

FTC: (Ben Gold) We were on the live ASOT show 2 days ago we played a mini mix and I think we played maybe 4? (Omnia) I think so yeah! (Ben Gold) We played 4 but think we have probably 7 , and everything we play here has been re-edited or re-designed especially for this set. When you close a festival it’s a responsibility ’cause it’s the last set people are gonna remember when they leave but at the same time as Ben Gold and Omnia and now as Futurecode we have our sound, so we’re gonna be true to our sound and hopefully delivery the set of our lives and we can’t believe we are premiering a new project at A State Of Trance with a closing set.

TBA: Yes it’s insane

FTC: (Ben Gold) It is really insane! I don’t know many others who have done that so yeah we’re excited!

(Omnia) It is definitely such a great start for this newtrance project; I mean we are really happy to be here tonight and really excited about that!

TBA: How did you guys decide to join forces ?

FTC: (Omnia) Well you know we collaborated before, we released 2 tracks together, ‘The Gateway’ and ‘The Conquest’ which I believe are really strong records and we had a really nice feedback from fans all over the world and at some point we realized we had even more ideas and when we went together to the studio it was really easy to work together because we had like the same mindset, both of us love the melodic stuff, the vocal stuff so I think that’s why, like it’s really easy for us to collaborate together.

(Ben Gold) Yeah, it felt natural, it was really easy to work on line or in the studio together we are at the same page at every stage we knew how the record sounded before it was finished, it was just natural, it was just a natural progression from being Ben Gold and Omnia into Futurecode. We’ ve played a really good back2 back set last year at Untold music festival in Romania and we uploaded the set on line and people really enjoyed that and people talked about it a lot so it was kind an easy decision to create Futurecode.

TBA: What about the name FUTURECODE?

FTC: (Ben Gold) He came out with that he was the brain behind it

(Omnia) Yeah yeah exactly ,the first idea was, I don’t know, THE FUTURECODE is definitely a kind of futuristic thing and you can see it now in our new branding; see we’re trying to bring something new in the trance scene we’re trying to be the best we can so I think it’s the right name for both of us to collaborate just the name gives you a kind of good feeling for the future right? You will hear it in our set and you will understand.

TBA: Are you guys planning to make an album together as well?

FTC: (Ben Gold) You know we’ve been working pretty hard for the last 3 months and maybe more preparing this set we also signed an exclusive record contract so there will be many Futurecode singles already planned for this year, everything you gonna hear tonight is gonna be released over the next 6-8 months , we also play at festival all over the world that we can’t announce just yet but I guess in a couple of months you will start seeing FUTURECODE not just in trance stages , we play on mainstages , it’s a really exciting time so let’s see where it goes; it’s been natural up until now so if it’s natural the next step is to come up with an EP or an album, or maybe a tour…that’s what we would do.

TBA: Beside that are you still working on your own projects?

FTC: (Omnia) Well, me personally I was focused on the Futurecode in the last months, we discussed it a lot before we started and I think it’s really important to know the direction you are moving to, right? We really want to make it a big debut show here at ASOT because this is such a great opportunity and this is the mainstage so…(Ben Gold) Yeah, we talked about it and we both agreed you can’t be 100% into 2 things so we dedicated the last 3 months of our lives to this project and yes Omnia is a prolific trance name, Ben Gold is doing pretty well too so this is not the ned of these 2 guysbut just for now we focused on one thing at time.

TBA: Thanks a lot guys for your time and see you later on the mainstage

One of the highlights of our night at ASOT900 was for sure catching up with one of our favorite artist of Statement! , Mr.Estiva!

He had the responsibility to open the Mainstage this year, so we’ve been following him up close from the front row during his smashing set right after Armin van Buuren’s delighting warm up, and we sat with him for a follow up of our last chat at ADE,and were itching to know how his album is shaping up and if he could give us some insights about it, so go on to check what he told us.

TBA: Hi, this is Jess from The Backstage Access, here with the amazing Estiva!

E: Here we go again!

TBA: Yes, how does it feel?

E: It feels great, I am feeling good, yeah! I’ve got a load of energy, I liked it tonight, it was different cause I played so many new tunes, well I think I had a unique set and I am happy with it and I think the crowd was happy with that too cause they were dancing.

TBA: Of course, they loved it! How is it going with your busy schedule? You are just coming off from Slovakia, right?

E: Yeah I was playing in Slovakia but it’s only 1 hour or 2 away; I actually got tested what I was playing tonight , it was good to be there and there was a great crowd last night , a great crowd today, so I am a happy man!

TBA: So how do you read the crowd… seeing the reaction to your tunes?

E: Well when you are up there on the stage you see a mass of people, sometimes it’s dark, sometimes you can just see one light , and then you see some faces, or moving heads , so you don’t really live what you are doing there..

TBA: Have you seen someone thinking in the crowd…like you were telling me in a previous interview?

E: Yeah you know when you play new music ..well ususally when you are on the dance floor and you know the music you are all dancing like yeah yeah I know this tune , and you know exactly what is going to happen,while what happens if you don’t know the tune is that if you don’t feel it you start thinking,if you are feeling it you start dancing….and I think it’s what happened a lot tonight, I mean I played a lot of new music and they were dancing so all is good.

TBA: How is it going with Spectacle2?

E: Well Ruben told me to release the whole set as an album but this is not going to happen..

TBA: Why not?

E: Well, becausethere is a remixI did for Temper Trap “Sweet Disposition”, that I probably can’t clear that sample, so it’s not quite perfect butI like the idea, there’s a lot of tunes I played that can be in the album

TBA: Ok so we must be a little more patient…

E: Well it’s scheduled for May

TBA: Wow my birthday month!!

E: What day?

TBA: 11th

E: Ok, I’ll tell Armada to release it on that day, haha! No ,I am really not sure if we can make it… but definitely this year.

TBA: Are you also working on some collaboration?

E: Not really too many collaborations right now, I’ve done a few with Ruben but an actual follow up to Rainbow is still need to happen but I think it twill happen this year, we are both up for it. Other than that, just me in the studio 24/7 , doing my thing, it’s the way I like it ,to be focused.

TBA: If you have to choose 3 thing to take with you wherever you go?

E: My phone with music on it, my eyepatches, and ear plugs

TBA: Do you have any lucky charm?

E: Not really, but ususally right before I get on stage I do like 2 push ups …so I can do…hahaha , no, it helps me release the tension, to get in the mood, to get the blood pumping…

Somna has a secret. Literally. Released today, the latest from the AVA A&R man pairs him for the first time with songstress HALIENE. Now one of the foremost voices of the EDM generation, with ‘Secret’ comes a record that brilliantly connects the dots between their two musical worlds.

On ‘Secret’, HALIENE (whose previous work includes team-ups with Seven Lions, Illenium, Slander, ATB, Ferry Corsten, Blasterjaxx and Aly & Fila) walks a dazzlingly fine lyrical/vocal line. The LA-based singer’s introspectively from-within song drops an emotional depth charge, which she brings vividly to life through her now instantly recognisable voice.

Through his production Somna tracks her tone instinctively, boxing clever with hints and tints that channel a number of electronic music styles. In its formative stages the Canadian nods at progressive, while his synth and plucked string work deliver the midsection its lift. He adds elegant pianoforte pathos to his chord & pad enriched break, holding back just enough to pull off a crowd-flaming, tech-fired closing third. ‘Secret’ is available to stream or buy here (https://ava.choons.at/secret) from March 15.

Bristol’s electronic duo ICARUS have made major waves as of late with new single ‘Sirens’ being named Annie Mac’s ‘Hottest Record’ and Mistajam’s ‘Self Certified’. Taken from their ‘This Must Be The Place’ EP, ICARUS now present a club-ready remix package featuring Denney, Motez and My Friend.

Spending years perfecting his craft, North-Eastern DJ and Producer Denney has released on numerous highly acclaimed labels including Global Underground, Saved Records, 2020 Vision and Hot Creations. With recent heat from his 90’s inspired club ready single ‘Empire’, Denney’s remix takes a similar path transforming ‘Sirens’ into an assured dance floor weapon.

Baghdad-born, Australian based Motez is widely respected for his innovative remixes of some of pop’s biggest names including Justin Timberlake, Disclosure, SamSmith and Frank Ocean. He now turns his hand to remixing ICARUS. Transforming the track with a trance inspired bassline and glitchy, robotic sounding synths, Motez’s rework takes on a futuristic feel.

London duo My Friend complete the remixes. Getting their first break through in 2018 when their unsigned, unreleased tracks ‘My Heart Burns There too’ and ‘Solace’ debuted on Danny Howard’s ‘Future Fire’ as ones to watch. Featuring gentle percussion from the get go, their ‘Sirens’ remix is yet another testament to their adept ability to craft emotionally charged dance music.

Continuing their ascent in 2019, ICARUS embark on their headline LIVE tour in April, playing venues across the UK, including Manchester’s The Deaf Institute, XOYO in London and SWG3 Glasgow.

Throughout his illustrious career, Grammy-winning dance music icon Afrojack has often showcased an unparalleled mastery of the full musical spectrum, and his latest release on his Wall Recordings label sees him push it to an even higher. Made in collaboration with American hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd and singer-songwriter Stanaj, ‘Sober’ is a super-enjoyable cross-genre track that shows once again why the Dutchman is one of dance music’s most esteemed acts.

Juggling dark, hip-hoppy beats, upbeat chord progressions and uplifting vocals, ‘Sober’ spotlights an exciting contrast that blows listeners away. From its street credibility to its pop potential, this superb track is suitable for all states of mind.

Afrojack: “Working with Rae Sremmurd and Stanaj was fire, Rae’s work ethic is hardcore, we even made some changes to the song on the set of the video to make sure it’s the best! This is also the second time doing a record with Stanaj and the combo of his voice and approach to pop always gives a WOW effect.”

Stanaj:“Was amazing to work with such a talented group of artists on this song. Always great to see what happens when worlds come together.”

Afrojack is without a doubt one of the most popular dance music acts of today’s scene. A producer sought after by many of the industry’s top names, he won a Grammy for his and David Guetta’s remix of Madonna’s ‘Revolver’ and worked with everyone from Pitbull to Sting and Chris Brown. Add to that the gamut of top-tier festivals he wrecks the mainstages of on a continual basis and you know Afrojack will remain one of dance music’s most esteemed acts for a long time to come.

Formed by brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee, Rae Sremmurd is one of the main pillars of the American urban scene. Originating from Tupelo, Mississippi, the duo sold certified platinum with their debut album ‘SremmLife’ in 2015 and launched their best-known single, ‘Black Beatles’, one year later, which peaked at #1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 while also making wave on an international scale with multiple Top 10 spots in a host of countries. Other highly acclaimed singles such as ‘No Type’, ‘No Flex Zone’ and ‘Swang’ also sold platinum and added to the duo’s total of well over a billion Spotify streams, serving as a testament to the duo’s incredible skill and popularity across the globe.

Stanaj, who previously linked up with Afrojack on multi-million-stream single ‘Bed Of Roses’, counts as one of the scene’s most promising singer-songwriters. With additional features on tracks from the likes of Gryffin and several singles of his own, he’s steadily building out the momentum to cement his place among the industry’s finest.

Just when the winter cold has started to fade, Miami-based dance music icon Cedric Gervais, U.K. DJ/producer duo Just Kiddin and singer-songwriter Kyan emerge on Cedric Gervais’ Delecta Records with an upbeat, sun-tinged disco song that oozes positivity. Perfectly mirroring that warm and welcoming feeling of the first rays of spring sunshine tickling the skin, ‘Good Things’, which comes with a disco edit from Just Kiddin, inspires listeners to reach back to the pure happiness they felt back when they were still kids gamboling about without a care in the world.

Cedric Gervais: “Right before my show in Mykonos, Greece in the summer of 2017, I was talking to Just Kiddin about working together on a collab, as I loved their remix of my track ‘Somebody New’. They ended up sending me an idea and we just started going back and forth until the track came to life. ‘Good Things’ is a very feel-good track; it has that summertime vibe, bringing back nostalgic and happy memories to everyone listening. We’re very proud of the record and hope people are going to connect with it!”

Just Kiddin: “We grew up listening to ‘80s disco (thanks to our parents), so we wanted to do a modern take on that sound. The idea was to create an ‘80s disco track, and then sample it and modernize it. So we played some guitar and keys, laid down some disco drums and built the track up from there. We knew the track needed a feel-good vocal, something that had that timeless feel! We took the instrumental into a session we had with Kyan and wrote the topline together. The concept of the vocal is about changing perspective to start seeing what’s good around you!”

Kyan: “’Good Things’ started in my studio in Cambridge after Lewis and Laurie (Just Kiddin) played me a few potential skeleton beats. I instantly gravitated towards the song because it had a real summertime nostalgia feel to it; it felt like looking back at those endless summers we had as kids without cares or responsibilities. I realized that those moments of pure happiness and contentment happen less and less as we grow up. ‘Good Things’ is about reclaiming that pure happiness and manifesting it for yourself. The more you believe and open yourself up to that happiness, the more you attract it, and the more ‘Good Things’ come your way. Just Kiddin and Cedric both took the song in equally captivating ways, and I’m excited to see which version people connect with the most.”

Cedric Gervais has been one of dance music’s luminaries for over fifteen years. He scored a Grammy in 2013 with his remix of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness’, sold multi-platinum with several singles and is a frequent fixture in the Top 10s of acclaimed charts in the U.S. (Billboard), the U.K. (U.K. Singles chart) and Australia (ARIA). His before-mentioned remix of ‘Summertime Sadness’ racked up over 330 million streams on Spotify alone and ‘Would I Lie To You’, one of his more recent collaborations with David Guetta and Chris Willis, added to the tally with over 118 million streams on the streaming service. With summer just around the corner, ‘Good Things’ could very well become a seasonal anthem warranting a tidal wave of streams and accolades.

Hailing from the small market town of Kettering, Northamptonshire, childhood friends Lewis and Laurie have created a unique production recipe, gaining props from industry heavyweights such as Duke Dumont, The Magician, Gorgon City, Martin Garrix and Tiësto. Their streak of success, which started with straight-up summer anthem ‘Thinking About It’, gained them a total of over 50 million streams on Spotify alone (including more than 12 million streams for 2018 single ‘Indiana’) and the opportunity to deliver on remix duty for artists such as ALMA, CAZZETTE, Cedric Gervais, Claptone, Craig David, Merk & Kremont, Robinson and more.

With glowing recommendations from the likes of Disco king Nile Rodgers and prominent outlets such as NME, CLASH, Billboard and Sunday Times, Kyan can easily be touted as one of the most promising singer-songwriters of the moment. Having lent his skills to industry icons such as Duke Dumont, Electro Pop king Madeon, Benga, Knox Brown and now Cedric Gervais and Just Kiddin, the Cambridge-based talent is pulling out all the stops to amplify his already meteoric rise to stardom.